Forenote: Hello everyone! I'm back with a good news! Yes, I passed after 22 days of waiting for the result. So yay! Thank you azab, himitsu no tsuki, xlightingx, and supremekikay24 for wishing me luck in my examination. While waiting for my updates of the forgotten stories, please enjoy this filler that I've been working on over the year. Don't forget to leave me your thoughts of what you think or which part you enjoy most. I'll update this story regularly, daily if I get lots of reviews, since it's nearing completion.
THE CHOICE YOU MADE - CHAPTER 1
It was raining again. Yesterday. 5 days ago. And today.
Staring off into the street of Chiba, he could see the distinguishable splatters of the rain drops onto the granite street like thousands of bursting bubbles. Even though the distance from Tokyo and Chiba stretched very far apart, the only thing that remained the same was the rain, and unfortunately, it only served as the reminder of his painful past.
One of the many unsettling feelings that Fuji got when living in this big house was the metallic ticking of the grandfather clock. The sound was subtle, but it was especially loud as it echoed through the empty and quite house. Fuji knew he was alone, and it wasn't an unusual event that he had stayed up another night to wait for his husband to come home. It was now 10 past 11. Dinner was cold. He wasn't hungry anyways.
Tezuka tended to stay out late almost every night and never told Fuji where. He didn't have the courage to ask his husband when all he received was a glare that told him not to be curious and not to meddle in his business.
He looked at the calendar hung on the wall in the living room. 13 days. Almost 2 weeks. That was how long he had been married. He sighed, feeling heavy at heart. He had liked his husband. His in-laws loved him, but his husband didn't even spare him any feelings. No love, like, hatred, not anything like that. Just indifference.
As he was in deep thought sitting at the sofa, the door clicked and he immediately stood up and walked to the foyer. Tezuka had finally come home. "You're back." He said meekly, looking at Tezuka as the taller took off his shoes, not even sparing him a glance or acknowledgement that he was heard.
"Are you hungry?" It was the routine for him to ask right when Tezuka came home, but he already knew the answer. "I made eel rice."
Tezuka continued to ignore him.
Fuji had learned that Tezuka wouldn't bother speaking a word to him if it wasn't necessary. He stood quietly at the foyer waiting until Tezuka left him standing there. He waited for the sound of the door of Tezuka's bedroom to close before moving to the kitchen to put away the food he had prepared. It would have been nice if Tezuka let him know the days he would be home for dinner, so the ffod wouldn't go to waste.
Autumn was approaching quickly. It was another year, making that 4 since he had moved back to Chiba, his birth city. Tokyo was a place where his younger brother and older sister had moved to when they decided to makea change in their lives. Although that was their intention, he could not bittterly laughed at how much his life had change. It was supposed to be a good thing, to give all of them better lives, but things didn't exactly turn out that way for him.
"Daddy?" A soft and small voice of a young toddler broke him out of his reverie and he looked away from the window.
"What's wrong Ryoma?" The father of the toddler, now 24 years old, bent down and picked up his child. He cuddled the boy close to his chest. "Did the rain wake you up?" He asked gently as he stroked the boy's back soothingly, making the young child to relax and move closer to the warmth of his body. The toddler let out a contented sigh and smiled softly in his sleepily state.
"Big noise...like fireworks." Ryoma mumbled into his daddy's freshly scented cotton shirt. No, he wasn't afraid of the rain or the thunder that occassionally came with it. Ryoma was a strong and spirited little boy. If anything, he liked to think of himself as his daddy's protector when his daddy was sad. There were times that he saw how his daddy would look into the distance and looked like he was going to cry. Even though he was only 4 years old, he was smart and witty. His intelligence soared above the kids at his age.
The father looked down at his son, smiling at the greatest gift gave to him by the Gods. If one good thing came out of his life in Tokyo, it was Ryoma: his life and flesh.
Yes, he carried little Ryoma inside him for a full 9 months and gave birth to his joyful toddler. In this world, there was a small population of human that was gifted with the ability to give birth indefinitely without suffering from genetic defects of old age and be affected by teratogenic factors. In contrast, a small population was cursed with unfruitful life, no matter what fertility methods they employ.
"Wanna sleep wid daddy." Little Ryoma squeezed the hem of his father's shirt in his little chubby hands. He heard a small chuckle rumbling through his father's chest.
"Alright, since my Ryoma desires so."
The father carried his son into their shared bedroom.
Looking after them before they disappeared down the hall was an older woman in her fifties. She felt incredibly sad for her orphaned nephew and his child. The 24 years old and his siblings were a mess when their parents passed away from an unfortunate car accident. They had struggled going through the first few months living without their parents. It was only years after that they worked up the courage to move away from their home town to start a new life. She didn't expect one of them to return to Chiba so soon, and with a surprise at that.
She remembered opening her door on one bright sunny afternoon after lunch to see her nephew looking like he was going to crumble to the ground at any second. She went from surprise to confusion when her eyes fixed on a small moving bundle in his arms. In her nephew's eyes, she could see sorrow at something she didn't know, yet contentment to see her.
After he settled into her house, he broke down and told her everything of what had transpired to make him come back home to Chiba. Ever since, she held a hatred for a man named Tezuka Kunimitsu for ruining her lovable nephew Fuji Syusuke's life.
Ryoma fell back to sleep in Fuji's arms. Fuji was still awake. Like all other times, he couldn't sleep as long as the rain kept on pouring. The sound of the rain pitter and patter on the rooftop served as an undesirable trigger to his past memory in that lonely house of his lawfully wedded husband. His thought trailed back to how it started.
At the age of 20, Fuji was still in college on his way to obtain a bachelor degree. He worked part time at several places to pay for tuition. He told himself that if he wanted a better life, he first needed to get a solid degree.
Like him, Yuuta was also in college, but pursuing a career in engineering. At that time, Yuuta had a second job at the Tezuka's residence. It was his only job that he had been so blessed to get it, considering the easy workload and high pay. Fuji remembered that day that Yuuta caught the flu and couldn't get out of bed to go to work or school, and Yumiko had put him on a bed restraint, but he was determined to at least showed up for work because he couldn't risk loosing it. In the end of putting up the struggles with his sibling, he made a deal: If he was going to stay rested in bed, then Fuji would have to go in place of him. And Fuji agreed, out of love for his stubborn brother.
It was then that he met TezukaAyana, a wonderful and beautiful woman in her 40's. He remembered her well. She was a kind lady, looking younger than her age. Their family's head chef coincidentally fell sick and couldn't come to make their meals, and Ayana couldn't get anyone to make dishes that are up to Kunikazu's standard. Fuji learned that Kunikazu was an influential elder in the politic as well as at home. His taste was peculiar and strict, and if he didn't like the food, he wouldn't eat, even if he was hungry.
In the midst of worrying where to find a great chef available to come to their home, she instinctively asked Fuji to try, even though Fuji declined. She insisted. So he gave in half-heartedly, and the outcome was unexpected. Kunikazu loved his food. They met, talked, and was asked to be the elder's personal chef.
Fuji declined at first because he just didn't have that flexibility in his schedule considering his financial situation and education. Both Ayana and Kunikazu were very insistant, so they asked and probed until they got Fuji to tell them his family situation. He didn't like to talk about it. But what he didn't expect was their generous offer to give him a high pay and cover Yuuta's tuition as long as he worked for them. They also offered to pay his tuition, but Fuji declined, saying he couldn't take so much from them.
Months after months working, he finally got to meet the young master, only child of the Tezukas, who had finished his studies oversea and came home to take over their family business. Their first encounter was pleasant, and Fuji was shocked at how polite, kind, and handsome TezukaKunimitsu was. That ignited a feeling in his heart for the young master. He grew to like Tezuka day by day. They became friends when Tezuka found that Fuji was someone he could hold an intelligent conversation without being bored for the longest time. When Tezuka faced with conflicting ideas at work, he always come to Fuji for suggestions and opinions.
Ayana was surprised at first because of their relationship, but she was happy that Tezuka was more socialble and talkative. She saw the chemistry between them and shared her thoughts with her husband and father-in-law. They agreed.
Six months into their friendship, Tezuka came up to him and ask for a favor. Fuji was surprised at how anxious Tezuka was acting, but he agreed nonetheless.
"I'm inviting someone over on Saturday night for dinner; can you prepare the food?"
Fuji was hesitant. He had only prepared food for Kunikazu. Everyone else's meals were prepared by the chefs. "Why don't you ask your family's chef? I only prepare grandfather's meals because our taste is peculiar. It might not be tasty for you."
Tezuka chuckled and gave him a smile that suddenly made him shy. "Silly, I ask you because I like your food."Fuji looked at Tezuka in question. "I had a few bites of grandfather's meals sometimes when I caught him at mealtime."
Fuji smiled shyly. "You like my cooking?" He was happy to see Tezuka nod in honesty. "Ok."
Friday came and Tezuka offered to take him to the market. He came a bit early because it was raining heavily outside and thought traffic would keep him behind schedule. There were many things running through his head as he stared out the window. The older Tezukas had gone to a relative's house and wouldn't be home until night, so he stood by the window in the living room as he waited for Tezuka to get ready.
The rain drops looked beautiful on the ground, like lilies when they burst. He felt happy at that moment, to be able to stay inside a cozy home and enjoy the beautiful view at the same time. He didn't have to go to work or do homework.
"What are you smiling about?"
Fuji almost jumped, taken surprised by Tezuka's sudden appearance. "You scared me." He held a hand over his chest to calm his widely beating heart.
Tezuka chuckled and stepped forward. "Let me see." He reached over to pull Fuji's hand away before replacing the spot with his own hand.
The action caused Fuji to blush and his heart to beat faster. Luckily, Tezuka wasn't looking at his face as he knitted his eyebrows in concentration to feel Fuji's heartbeat.
When Tezuka pulled away, he smiled. "Seems like I did scare you. Your heart was beating 75mph."
Didn't want to be embarassed further, Fuji changed the subject. "Which supermarket are we going to?"
Tezuka shrugged. "I was going to ask which one you wanted to go to."
Fuji smiled and nodded. "Alright."
After parking the car, Tezuka told Fuji to stay in the car and ran over to the passenger's side. Fuji was taken by surprise at the way Tezuka was acting. When he looked up, Tezuka had an umbrella big enough for a whole family over their heads.
"Don't want to get sick now." Tezuka said charmingly as he pulled Fuji up by the hand.
Fuji chuckled, feeling joyous at the warm feeling spreading through his body like wild fire even though the air was cold. "My, you're so heroic."
Tezuka laughed at that and hung an arm over Fuji's shoulders to pull the smaller one closer as they walked to the market.
The trip to the grocery was quick since Fuji knew what to get and where to get them. As they were putting their grocery away into the refridgerator, Fuji finally asked the question that had been on his mind. "Who is the person coming tomorrow?"
Tezuka pervasively smiled. "A surprise." And Fuji couldn't get more information. Whoever it was, he didn't really care at the moment. All that was important was that he was happy and enjoying his time with Tezuka. Somewhere in his heart he wished this would last forever.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
The door slammed shut, shaking the house like the rolling thunder outside. They had just come home from dinner at his parents' house and it wasn't a happy one. He half expected this to happen, but there was a part of him wishing that Ashiya would stop being selfish.
"Why are you even angry? I should be the one to be angry! You know that your family doesn't like me, yet you always make me come to these stupid family gathering. Is it your mission to embarrass me in front of them?!"
Tezuka kept silent as he walked to their shared bedroom. Minami trailed after him, shouting words at him like a repetitive chant. He already knew what she was going to say next. I love you, but don't expect me to kneel down and kiss their feet just to please them.
"I love you Kunimitsu, but don't expect me to kneel down and kiss their feet just to please them. I'm tired of it!"
And I'm tired of listening to you. Tezuka sighed, feeling annoyance creeping into his veins. "When did you ever try to please them?" He had to keep his tone calm, or they would break into another big fight.
"All the times! Whenever I came over to their house for you, I brought them the best and most expensive gifts. I got them the best of the best, and I didn't even get any gratefulness from them or you." The indifference treatment she received from her husband was making her upset. He was supposed to be on her side, defending her, but all he did was dismiss it like nothing important. How dare he accuse her of being selfish! "I tried to make them happy, but all I get are sour faces. I expected you to be more understanding. What I get is another sour face." She scoffed, taking off her coat and threw it on their bed.
Tezuka had enough. He retorted. "You tried? All you did was trying to buy their happiness. Have you ever considered trying to get to know them?"
"Get real Kunimitsu." She snorted, arms crossing in front. "They don't even want to see me in that house, where did your genius mind come up with the thought of me getting closer to them?" She mocked him.
"So what? The point is that you were never serious about getting along with my parents." Tezuka gritted between his teeth. He loved his wife, but he also loved his family. He already hurt his family once by marrying Minami. Why couldn't she sacrifice part of her pride to get along with his family. He was sure that his family are rational even though they were against their marriage.
"Alright, I admit what you said is true, but I'm serious about you! At least I tried to make you happy by trying to make them happy. Isn't that enough?!"
Tezuka let out a heavy defeated sigh. "I can't continue to talk to you right now." He said and walked to the bathroom, but was stopped by his wife.
"Why not? I'm not done talking to you." She glared at him, blocking his entrance to the bathroom. "We've been married 4 years now, and this is the first time you're walking away from a small argument. Are you giving up on our marriage?"
"You obviously don't understand what I'm saying." Tezuka frowned. A small argument? He thought opposite. "I said nothing about ending our marriage. I just need to calm down before both of us start to yell nonsense at each other."
"And then what? Forget about it in the morning and act as if nothing happened?" Minami scoffed in mockery.
Oh how he hated that attitude of her. He turned around to walk to their walk-in closet. The thought of showering left his mind.
"You always do this to me! I'm your wife but you don't stand up for me against your family.!"
Tezuka whipped his head around in the midst of changing out his shirt.
"I don't?" Tezuka laughed sarcastically, making his wife frown. "Then how are we married? I went against my parents, my grandfather, and my ex-wife to marry you, yet you accuse me of not standing up for you?" He was angry. If only she stopped when she should have.
"Oh great, now your ex-wife came up." Minami snorted. "I remember someone saying that he doesn't think that sorry of a personwas his wife."
Tezuka frowned. "Don't change the subject." Women, he couldn't understand their train of thoughts.
"Barely." She snorted, sitting on their bed as she watched Tezuka change into pajamas. "How he got your parents' affection is beyond comprehension. He must have bewitched them with his fake innocence. That little bitch. Conniving and sly, never knew he had it in him."
Hearing that was like adding fuel to his raging anger. "Don't start that about him." Tezuka said stiffly, pinning his wife his a glare that was deflected with mockery.
"Don't tell me what to do." She challenged him. "Because of him that your parents made up that stupid rule that I won't be part of the family as long as I can't to give you an heir. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
Tezuka wondered why. It would have been easier if they got a child, but Minami never conceived. "If it's stupid, then why can't a smart person like you do it?"
"What did you say?!" Minami stood up. "Are you saying that I'm stupid?"
Tezuka kept silent.
She walked over to him and stabbed his chest with her finger. "Listen here. The reason we don't have children because you're impotent. I have 5 sisters and 4 brothers, and you are the only child. If there's a reason for me not to get pregnant, it is you."
Tezuka swatted her finger away. "Then let me tell you that I'm not impotent. I'm the only child because my mother had ovarian cancer 1 year after I was born." He glared down at her. She would've known if she had an interest in learning about his family. He pushed her aside, causing her to stumble sideway, to leave their bedroom.
"Where are you going?" Minami ran over to grab Tezuka's arm.
"Outside." He replied, not giving her a glance as he yanked his arm away roughly.
"Fine! Sleep outside for all I care!" She screeched at his back, slamming the door shut.
Tezuka felt weariness creeping into every bone in his body. He was getting tired from everything. He wished he could go back to his parents and ask for their help, but doing that would be ironic. He felt lighter after as his back hit the sofa. Ex-wife. He thought it strange how that title came up in their argument. The last time he saw him was 4 years ago. How was he doing? Where was he now? Did he find someone else better? As his eyes traveled to the foyer, an image of the past flashed from his memory. He felt nostalgic.
Fuji had never once failed to greet him every single time he came home with a smile on his face. Now when he came home from work, no one would be there, even if Minami was home, she wouldn't run over to say that homely phrase.
Now that I've thought about it, I've never seen him without a smile. A guilty conscience crept into his heart. How could he smile like that day after day when I treated him so horribly?
"You're home." Fuji greeted. It was raining outside that day, so he prepared a warm towel for his husband to dry up. He was happy that Tezuka came home safely as he had seen the news of many car accidents nearby home.
Tezuka was home earlier than normal that day because Minami went oversea. He couldn't stay over at her place, so he was feeling agitated, adding to his rumbling stomach that he had to endure from the agonizing traffic. All at once, he let out his emotions. "Of course. This is my home!"He said sarcastically.
He could see Fuji coil back in fear. Fuji's head lowered so he couldn't see Fuji's face.
"I-I'm sorry."
Tezuka let out an irritated sigh. After kicking off his shoes, he grabbed the towel from Fuji's hands and dried his coat.
When Fuji looked up, there was a gentle smile on his face, not the cheery one like earlier. "I made your favorite dishes. Would you like to eat first or shower first?"
Without saying anything, Tezuka went straight to the kitchen. Fuji went after Tezuka and set up dinner.
Tezuka tore his eyes away from the foyer and looked up at the ceiling, closing his eyes. He could hear Fuji's voices.
"It's mother's birthday today. I baked a cake and bought her a gift. Let's go over their house together for dinner tonight." Tezuka had forgotten his mother's birthday when Fuji called his cell during lunch time while he was at his company. Work was busy, so he had no time for anything, except for Minami. He was glad that Fuji remembered.
"I prepared your clothes for you to attend your company party tonight." How Fuji knew, Tezuka had no idea and he didn't ask. He was supposed to bring a partner, but he already asked Minami to accompanied him and had no intention of asking Fuji. Maybe his father told Fuji?
"It's your birthday today right? I made green tea cake. It's your favorite."He didn't even rememberhis own birth date. Neither did Minami.
"I bought you a new pair of shoes while shopping today. Your current one is getting worn out."
"I hope you like the new curtains. I thought it'd keep our house warmer for the winter."
Tezuka shook his head and opened his eyes. In those 4 years that past, never once did have thoughts like this running through his head. Why couldn't he get rid of them?Am I starting to miss his presence in this house?
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Morning came. Fuji found himself staring into the streets again. Although the rain served as a painful memory to him, there was a time that he had loved it.
"Daddy, so windy outside!"Ryoma exclaimed with a tint of horror. He turned away from the window to see Fuji coming up to him with his fur jacket.
Fuji glanced towards the window before kneeling down to his son's level. It was still raining, non-stop since yesterday.
"It's gonna be so cold." Ryoma mumbled, an indication that he didn't want to go to school today. Nevertheless, he stepped into the wide-spread jacket that Fuji was holding up. He put his pudgy arms through.
"That's alright. You have your super warm jacket on now." Fuji smiled and lightly pinched Ryoma's nose. The little boy wrinkled his nose before chuckling.
"You have cold fingers, daddy!"
" are cold, you say?" Fuji said mischievously, with a playful smirk as he got into position to tickle Ryoma.
"No!" Ryoma yelled before running down the hall, bumping into his great-aunt's legs. He hid behind her legs. "Cold fingers wanna attack me!"
Fuji laughed as he went over to the clothes pole hanger by the door to get a child-size rain poncho.
"You father and son, so troublesome and noisy in the morning." Fuji's aunt looked down at Ryoma with a gentle smile and pushed him forward to where Fuji was standing with the poncho, waiting. Her voice was anything but negative. "Better get going soon or the both of you will be late."
Ryoma's eyes widened. "Can't be late! Teacher said no can do for late boys and girls."
Fuji chuckled at the cute little freak out that Ryoma was having. "That's right, so we better hurry, ne?" He slipped the rain poncho over Ryoma and secured it tightly. It swept the floor.
Ryoma ran over to the couch in another room to get his backpack that was packed with his notebook, pencils, crayons, and lunch as Fuji don his get-up for the weather outside.
"Ryoma! Shoes!" Fuji yelled across the walls. Seconds later, Ryoma ran into the awaiting room.
He slipped them on with his daddy's help.
"Do you have everything in your backpack?"
Ryoma nodded. "Everything."
When they left the house, it was sprinkling very lightly. Ryoma squealed and ran ahead as he enjoyed the mist hitting his face.
Fuji shook his head, feeling happy at the lovely sight of his joyful son. "Don't run too fast! And wait for me!"
"Daddy! You're slow!"
As they arrived at Ryoma's kindergarten school gate, Ryoma spun around to see Fuji slowly catching up. "We made it!" He tipped on his toes with his arms entwined behind his back as he smiled at his daddy.
Fuji smiled and nodded. He stretched out an arm to get a hold of Ryoma's smaller hand. "Ja, let's go in before you turn into a snowboy."
Ryoma laughed and shook his head side to side. As he did so, small piles of accumulated snowballs fell off and hit the ground with a soft thud.
When they reached the classroom, Ryoma ran inside and left Fuji to stand outside exchanging greetings with his son's teacher. Once Ryoma finished putting his backpack in his designated cubby, he ran outside to hug Fuji's leg.
"I'll see you inside a bit Ryoma." The teacher said, patting Ryoma's head before giving Fuji a smile and went back inside the classroom.
Fuji knelt down to fix Ryoma's hair that was mussed up when he took off his poncho and jacket. "If you're going outside to play today, remember to put on your jacket."
"Hai."Ryoma showed his daddy a toothy grin.
Fuji chuckled and pinched his cheeks. "My Ryoma is so cute, ne? Since Auntie and Uncle will not be home until 9, I'll pick you up later and bring you to daddy's work, alright?"
Ryoma nodded. "Okay!"
"I love you."
"Love you too." Ryoma laughed and hugged his daddy, not forgetting to leave a kiss on his daddy's cheek when they separated. "Bye, daddy! See you later!"
The walk from Ryoma's school to his work was 15 minutes away. He had been working at this sushi restaurant for 2 years now. The first few years after he brought Ryoma back to his home town, he had been through many jobs, and most of his employers and the employees he worked with were nasty and bitter towards him. It wasn't that he was a horrible waiter, sales clerk, or dish washer because he had been one of those in Tokyo and did his job well. It was because that he had no flaw. He did everything perfectly and every customer loved him, even the bosses. Because he was such a good worker, the bosses took a liking to him. Not only that, they were attracted towards him and wanted to bed him even though they were all married and had kids. Everytime they made a move on him, he refused. They hated him for this. And when they became too persistent, he quit. His co-workers hated how he could get the bosses' attention and received much more tip than they did from customers. Because the employers couldn't get him into their bed, they hated him. At other jobs where there were no perverted bosses, there were demanding bosses. They wanted him to work at odd times. He tried to reason that he had a infant to care for at home and couldn't do odd times, but they ignored it. He tried for a few weeks before quitting because Ryoma was fussy without his daddy by his side. Every season, he had to look for another job. There were times that he thought of giving up, but he couldn't. He had Ryoma to think of.
4 years passed and he finally found a perfect job at Kawamura Sushi, a popular restaurant in the tourist area. He luckily landed this job when the son of the Kawamura family went to the city to open a franchise.
Upon arriving, the sushi chef, otherwise known as the owner, greeted him warmly like a father. He set up the place. Minutes later, his co-workers came in. Business started out slow and became busier as lunch time rolled around. When it was 12:30, Fuji used his half an hour lunch time to go and pick up Ryoma from school.
He ran against the harsh wind and cold air. Luckily, it wasn't raining. By the time he arrived in front of Ryoma's classroom, his chest hurt from breathing in the cold air too fast. His nose was red and his face was numb. He waited like other parents present as the children filed out of the classroom slowly.
"Ryoma!" Fuji shouted and made way over to his son. It was difficult to smile when his face felt almost frozen, but the happy look on Ryoma's face made him crack a smile. The boy was holding his backpack on one hand and his outerwear on the other.
"Daddy!" Ryoma ran over to hug Fuji, nuzzling into Fuji's cheek as he did so. "Daddy! Why is your face so cold?" He dropped everything in his hands and cupped Fuji's cheek while frowning.
"Because it is cold outside." Fuji smiled and picked up the jacket to put on his son's body. The backpack came after that.
"But I'm outside too, see?" Ryoma took Fuji's hands and put them over his face. "My face is not like ice."
Fuji squeezed the chubby cheeks before placing kisses on his son's face. "Now that's a relief. Can't have my Ryoma turning into a snowboy now or I'd be very sad." Fuji teased him.
"But daddy! What if you're going to turn into a snowman?" Ryoma wailed, frowning at the scary thought.
Fuji chuckled and scooped his son into his arms, making his way out of the school ground. "I'm not going to. Who's going to take care of you if I turned into a snowman?"
"That's right." Ryoma mumbled as he wrapped his arms around Fuji's neck. "Daddy has to stay with Ryoma." As he was being carried, his eyes trailed to one of the parents with a comfy scarf around her neck. Daddy needs a scarf.
Fuji brought Ryoma into one of the private guest room that was currently used as a storage. He laid out Ryoma's homework on the table and brought his lunch that he packed from home over. "Eat this and then do your homework." He pushed a fork into Ryoma's hand.
"Daddy eat yet?" Ryoma questioned with a mouthful of rice.
Fuji shook his head and smiled. "Later. I have to get back to work." He gave Ryoma a quick kiss.
Before Fuji could leave, Ryoma grabbed Fuji's shirt hem. "Just one bite?" He held out the fork.
"Okay." Fuji smiled and leaned forward to take the bite held out to him. He ruffled the boy's hair before leaving the room
Outside, the restaurant was nearly packed. He immediately came over to help bringing out the food. When lunch hour passed, the restaurant started to become more quiet, now with only a table left. The other workers took their lunch break while Fuji stayed on duty. He wandered over to the sushi bar when he saw Kawamura-san waving at him.
"I told Ryoma that I'd make him some sushi the next time he comes." Kawamura-san placed a plate filled with different kinds of sushi on the ledge.
Fuji smiled, seemingly a bit troubled. "You didn't need to Kawamura-san. He's already eaten the food that I brought." He felt bad for always taking freebies from the restaurant through his boss' insistence. "I'll order some from you when he asks for it."
Kawamura-san gave him a gentle disapproving look. "Non-sense. Ryoma is like my grandchild. I'm doing this because I like that child."
Fuji smiled and thanked him gratefully. "Since Ryoma ate your lunch, have some too."
Fuji nodded before going to where his son was. He walked into his son sleeping with his head on an open workbook, snoring softly. Fuji smiled, shaking his head at how cute the boy was. He set the plate down before moving Ryoma onto flat floor, not forgetting to place his sweater under the boy's head.
He was careful to be gently and not make any loud noise. Unfortunately, his hungry stomach protested loudly and Ryoma stirred a little bit before settling back to sleep. Fuji released the breath he was holding and took some sushi into his stomach before leaving the room.
Right when he came back, 2 customers came through the door. He immediately came up to them, only to stop short when a woman shook off the hood of her trench coat. He gasped inwardly and a sudden wave of pain hit him as memory arose.
It was Minami Ayisha. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in a deeper breath.
And Fuji could see the look in her eyes that she recognized him too.
"Minami." The friend that came with Minami nudged her as looked from Fuji to her friend. "Minami?" She raised her voice a bit.
"Eh?" Minami blinked and looked at her friend.
"What's wrong?"
Minami apologized to her friend before putting on a stranger face. Fuji could tell that she didn't want her friend to know that they knew each other. Fuji shook his head clear before directing them to a table professionally. He took their order, brought them beverages, and waited for the food to be made. As he stood in the kitchen cutting tofu into cubes for miso soup, Minami's face relentlessly popped up in his head.
There was a tense atmosphere and Fuji didn't know why as he stood at the side of the dining table after bringing out all of the dishes he made.
"This is Minami Ashiya, my girlfriend from the states." Tezuka said as he and Minami stood at the entrance of the dining room.
Minami smiled and gave a slight bow in greeting. "Good evening. It's a pleasure to finally meet Kunimitsu's family."
Fuji could see the exasperated heavy sigh and annoyance fron Ayana. The men at the table were less obvious with their emotions.
"What is she doing here?" Ayana asked, not looking at Minami, but at Tezuka sternly. She had known that her son went out with a Japanese American model in the States. Tezuka showed her a picture once. Ayana thought Minami was pretty, but she developed a dislike for Minami when she saw the model on the media being portrayed like a cheap porn star. She cannot imagine having a daughter-in-law like Minami, who freely flash her bare model body to the public like it was no big deal. The Tezukas were more conservative than liberal, so Minami was a big let down and an embarrassment.
"Ashiya just came back from the States and will stay in the country from now on, so I want to introduce her to everyone as she will be the person who I will marry in the future."
"What is her profession?" Ayana asked, even though she knew the answer.
Tezuka sighed. He knew this was coming. His mother had voiced out her dislike for his girlfriend and told him to break up with her when he was still in the States, but he couldn't. He loved her. "You already know that she is a model."
"Then you should already know that I won't accept her as long as she is or was a model." Ayana shot back in equal intensity. She held her head high.
"But you haven't met her yet."
Then they started arguing. Fuji didn't know what he did to deserve this. The man that he thought he harbored feelings for had a girlfriend all this while, and he didn't know. What was worst was that he prepared dinner with joy in knowing that Tezuka was going to eat the dishes. He felt hurt more than anything. He thought they had something more than that. He was wrong.
"I do not welcome her in this house." Ayana said her final words.
"Tezuka-san, modeling is my dream. I cannot give it up or deny that I am a renowned model. But I also love Kunimitsu. I cannot give up on him too." Minami said firmly, anger was laced in her words, clearly upset that she wasn't liked like she was expected.
Ayana had nothing else to say, neither did her son. Without further words exchanged, Tezuka took Minami's wrist and pulled her out of the house.
Fuji felt intruding and he didn't belong because he was not a family member.
"That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Kuniharu commented after a long silence.
Ayana chortled and took a sip of wine. "That girl has no pride or shame, and I know you have the same sentiment as I do for her. Besides, I would rather marry Kunimitsu off to Syusuke than her."
Kunikazu smiled at the thought as he threw Fuji a glance, who was slightly blushing. Ayana didn't know she caused such reaction and invited Fuji to sit down and have dinner. He no longer had the appetite to enjoy a nice warm meal, even though it was the first time that he could sit down with the people he considered closet to being his parents. If only his family was whole...
The ring of the bell reminded him that the food was ready, so he washed his hands and left the kitchen to serve the food. Though Minami acted cold towards him, he was glad that she did because he wouldn't know what to do. After setting the food down at the table, he went over to the other table to get the check.
It was almost 3 now, and the restaurant closed 15 after for a break before opening again for dinner at 5. He would have worked the evening shift too if his aunt and uncle were home, and he couldn't let Ryoma stay in here that long. His son needed to shower and be put to bed early.
He tidied up the restaurant while waiting for their last customers to finish. Not long after, they asked for a check and left cash on the table. Before leaving, he caught her eyes. He looked down at the table and saw a 50 dollar bill with a separate pile of cash enough for the bill. He wondered if Minami put that out in pity and felt slightly insulted at the gesture. He put the tip in the basket and clocked out.
Ryoma was still sleeping when he came in. He packed the sushi away for dinner and cleaned up the room.
"Ryoma." He stirred his son lightly and put the jacket on the boy. "We're going home."
Ryoma murmured sleepily as he allowed his daddy to do whatever. Once done, he carried Ryoma and left with their belongings.
As he was walking home, snow started to fall and he hugged Ryoma closer for warmth. The trek home was long and cold. He couldn't walk too fast because of Ryoma. He didn't mind though, but the image of Minami's smirk was on his mind like a leech. It bothered him so much that he felt more insulted thinking about that 50 dollar bill. And because that smirk reminded him of that bitter time.
After more than 1 month living together, Fuji felt like all that time he endured as a Tezuka had finally taken a turn for a better. Tezuka started to come home earlier than usual for dinner. Even though they didn't talk anymore than they did, he could feel that Tezuka was acting kinder and more caring. Not that he complained, but it felt foreign and unsettling. Nevertheless, he was happy.
One day, Tezuka came home very drunk. How he managed to get home unscathed was a miracle. He helped Tezuka changed and got ready for bed. What he didn't expect that Tezuka pull him in and made love to him gently.
3 weeks after that night, he thought Tezuka was starting to have feelings for him through the caring gestures he received when he felt sick almost every morning.
"Go see the Dr." Tezuka said one morning before leaving for work.
And he did. He was glad that he did. When he left the hospital, he was filled with happiness that he took a taxi to the Tezukas residence to tell his in-laws that he was pregnant. They were ecstatic, urging him to call Tezuka immediately.
He was about to make the call when he received an incoming call from Tezuka. Tezuka rarely called him, but he picked it up thinking it might be about the hospital trip.
'Where are you at?' Tezuka sounded irritated.
Fuji frowned, wondering what happened. "I'm at your parents' house." He heard rustling before Tezuka's voice came back.
'Stay there and wait for me.'
"Okay." He didn't question why even though it was strange. He turned back to Ayana and told her what Tezuka told him.
"He is going to be so happy." Ayana squealed and Fuji smiled, hoping it would be true. However, he had a bad feeling about this. She was so happy that she didn't notice him being apprehensive.
It was an hour later that the doorbell chimed, perking Fuji from his short rest in the living room. Ayana was also with him. "That must be Kunimitsu."
Fuji smiled at how excited Ayana looked, feeling extremely satisfied that he was doing the right thing for this family.
Tezuka walked in.
Ayana had the look on her face showing that she couldn't keep her words in any longer, but the entrance of Minami behind Tezuka made her frozen on the spot.
Fuji was confused, at lost, and hurt. He thought Tezuka and Minami weren't seeing each other anymore, just like what Ayana had reassured him at their marriage. What was going on? The bad feeling he had earlier become incredibly strong and he felt like throwing up. His hand came to rest at his stomach.
After a long silence, Tezuka finally spoke up. "Mother." He greeted with a polite inclined of his head. Minami followed.
"What is the meaning this?" Ayana was in rage. She told her son to sever his relationship with that girl, but what was she doing here like they had been seeing each other being her back this whole time?Or maybe they did...She didn't like the smug victorious smile displayed on the model's face.
Tezuka looked away from Ayana, a guilty conscience built inside him almost made him regret about his decision to finally come forth with his affair with Minami.
"I told you to stop seeing her."
"Did I not make myself clear about who I don't want in this house?" Ayana asked coldly. Her arms crossed in front of her chest as she turned side way to avoid everyone's faces. Fuji could see her trembling fists.
"You did." Tezuka replied, bringing Minami to stand at his side. "But I have an announcement to make."
Fuji looked worriedly at Tezuka, but the taller didn't spare him any acknowledgement. Suddenly, he felt dizzy.
Kuniharu and Kunikazu entered the living room with confusion on their faces. Apparently, Tezuka sent their butler to get the two older men when he came.
"What's going on?" Kuniharu asked, walking around his son and Minami to sit at the sofa. Kunikazu did the same.
Tezuka took out a large envelop from inside his coat. He walked over to the coffee table and set it down. "Ashiya and I plan to get married at the end of this year."
A collection of gasps was heard.
Ayana whipped her head around to look at her son. Fury was in her eyes. "WHAT?"
Fuji's legs gave out and he fell onto the sofa. His grip tightened on the sofa's arm, shaking in disbelief.
"Who gave you the permission to marry her? And are you aware that you're married?"
Tezuka looked at his mom in defiant. "Mother, I'm old enough to make decisions for myself, especially when it concerns my life and happiness."
"I never said anything about not letting you take charge of your decisions." Ayana countered. "When did I ever oppose to what you want to do?"
This kept Tezuka silent for a moment. "You know that I love Ashiya, but you told me to break up with her and marry him."
Ayana sighed, feeling ridiculous at having to argue with her only child because of a girl. "She may be the person that you fancy now, and she has no ability to provide for you as a wife, but Syusuke can. I'm doing what it is best for your future."
Tears brimmed at Fuji's eyes. Everything that he did, it wasn't because he has feelings for me. The argument went back and forth, but he didn't hear anything until the living room settled into silence. Then he heard his name. He looked up in confusion when everyone had their eyes on him.
"Mother said you have something to tell me." Tezuka said, looking expectantly at him.
Fuji was at lost until he exchanged look with Ayana. He gasped inwardly realizing what she wanted him to say. He shook his head.
Ayana frowned. "Syusuke. You have to tell him."
"It's nothing." It was the first time that he used his firm voice at her.
Ayana was speechless. She didn't know why Fuji was hiding his pregnancy from her son.
Fuji swallowed a heavy lump in his throat as he looked at the folder on the table that had been ignored. "Is that the divorcer paper?" His voice came out small and soft, unlike the firm voice he used with Ayana.
Tezuka felt guilty hearing it from Fuji. Truthfully, he didn't hate Fuji at all. It was the marriage that he hated because he was forced into it. He appreciated the things Fuji did for him at home, but being with Minami made it difficult for him to show appreciation. He nodded in response to Fuji's question.
Fuji stood up and took the envelop. "I'll have it completed by tomorrow."
Ayana felt pitiful and sad for Fuji, and she wanted to just shout out the news, but since Fuji had already decided. There was nothing she could do because she respected his decision.
"Thank you." Tezuka said, noticing how Fuji was avoiding his eyes. "We're leaving." Tezuka turned and took Minami with him.
"Syusuke..." Ayana whispered.
He accepted Tezuka's decision, but there was something still nagging at him. He wanted to know if Tezuka acted nice because he pitied him. He just had to know. He ran out of the living, ignoring calls of his name.
Tezuka was about to leave the front porch when Fuji came out. He released Minami's hand and looked at her. "Wait for me in the car."
Minami nodded and leaned up to leave a peck on Tezuka's lips.
Fuji watched her going down the steps and before she entered the car. He saw her smirking at him and he immediately turned away.
"Fuji?" Tezuka questioned softly.
"I just want to know..."Fuji licked his lips, nervous. He looked up into Tezuka's eyes. "All those times when you came home early and were nice to me, was it because of this? That you pity me?"
Tezuka was silent and Fuji knew the answer. Fuji nodded to show that he understood. "Thank you." Even if you didn't do it for me, but for pity...
"I'm sorry." Tezuka said. He wanted to say more, but he couldn't. To say that it was partly pity because he also did it because he felt happy when he saw Fuji smile during those times.
"It's alright. I wish you a happy life." Fuji forced a smile before turning around and walked back into the house. He slid down to the floor and tears started to fall. He lied. It wasn't alright. It was never alright. Now how was he supposed to raise a child by himself?
He didn't know how long his in-law had been there to see him cry until Ayana gathered him into her arms.
"Oh Syusuke." Ayana was upset with her son, but now she was remorseful towards Fuji. She stroke his hair as she listened to his heart-broken sobs.
"I thought he was beginning to like me." Fuji whispered between his sobs. "How could he do this to me? What have I done wrong?" He looked up into Ayana's eyes to see that she was crying with him.
"Nothing, you have done nothing wrong." Ayana affirmed him. "It is my fault because you are too good for him. I shouldn't have asked you to marry him."
Fuji shook his head. "No I'm not good enough. It's my fault that I assumed he liked me and built false hope. I failed to see his true intention and created a fall hope for myself."
"Syusuke."
"I tried everything to please him, to make him happy, but he was never happy when he was with me."
Ayana let him cry on her shoulder for the longest time before it reduced to soft hiccups and sniffs. She pushed him up from her shoulder to look at his face. "Why didn't you tell him?"
Fuji sniffed and wiped his eyes. They were blurry. "Why?"
"He would've stayed."
Fuji shook his head lightly and let out a bitter smile. "And make him hate me more for obligating him to stay for our child?" He looked into her eyes. "He would have, but I don't want our child to be the reason he's staying. There is no point keeping him with me if he feels like I'm chaining down his freedom. I don't want our child to grow up in the same cold house that I've been living in. It's too cruel, and I can't have that."
Ayana nodded in understanding. "I'm so sorry."
"Please don't." Fuji took her hand in his and gave her a sweet smile. "I should be thanking you for treating me like your real son. After my parents died, my sister was the closet to a mother I've ever had, but you really made me feel like I still have a mother. You really mean a lot to me. Father and Grandfather too." He averted his eyes to the men standing not so far away.
Ayana cupped his cheeks. "Let that be the reason for you to come to me whenever you need anything. Stay with me, and we'll raise the child together."
Fuji thinned his lips and held her hands. "I would love to stay, but I don't think I can." He looked at her pleadingly. "I don't want him to know about my pregnancy. I don't want his pity...I'm going to raise this child myself and I'm asking you to not tell anyone."
Ayana frowned, not liking the idea of Fuji going away. "Raising a child is not easy, Syusuke. Let us help you. I love you, and I want to help."
Fuji smiled. "Thank you, but I have the confidence to raise this child. Please understand."
Ayana hesitated, but conceded nonetheless. "Okay, but on one condition." Fuji waited, hoping that it wasn't something too extreme. "Let me provide all your hospital fee until the babe is born. It is the least I can do for you."
Fuji nodded. "That would be more than enough."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Tezuka had been having a headache trying to think of how to solve the problem with his wife. They were both angry at each other, and neither would relent. When he went back to their shared bedroom this morning, Minami was already up and dressed ready to go out. She was packing clothes into a small suitcase. Her vanity table was deserted of makeup and skin care. Tezuka didn't need to ask to know what she was up to. She had done it before and he didn't want to care. Walking straight to the walk-in closet, he took out a suit and went to the bathroom without giving her any acknowledgment.
Minami didn't react well to Tezuka ignoring her when it was obvious that she was packing to go away from home. He didn't care, not even one bit, and that angered her greatly. She slam her suitcase shut at the same time Tezuka closing the bathroom door.
She couldn't believe him. Tezuka used to be a sweet caring man, but now he was anything but. He didn't seem to care, and that made her scared and frustrated. While he was in the shower, she brought her belongings downstairs and made herself a cup of coffee. 10 minutes later, he came into the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. They never made each other's drink.
"I'm going to a friend's house in Chiba for a few days."
Tezuka acted like he didn't hear a word she said. Instead, he walked out the kitchen and got ready to leave the house, leaving his wife fuming at his nonchalant attitude.
The first time in 4 years, Tezuka actually felt peaceful and concentrated at work. Minami would usually call him, regardless of whether he was with a client or in a meeting, at least 5 times a day to tell him of her daily encounter. As such, he was able to finish everything planned for the day earlier than usual. He left to go home right after the last meeting in the late afternoon.
It was quiet in the house. Now that Minami had decided to be immature and run away from their current problem like a child, the house felt cold and eerie. Even his soft footsteps seem to echo annoyingly.
The refrigerator was empty, no food except for a half eaten yogurt. He slammed the door shut in frustration. As he was standing there contemplating what to do, he saw a ghost of his ex-wife preparing food at the counter, asking him what he would like to have.
They had never eaten together at the same table during their marriage.
Fuji would be busy preparing the next day's meal or cleaning up when Tezuka would have dinner in silence, if he would ever eat or come home at all.
Tezuka blinked and the ghost disappeared and his stomach grumbled. He would just have to order his dinner through the phone or go out by himself.
In the end, he picked up his phone and dialed a number that he hadn't bother about on regular basis. The waiting tone came on as he waited for the other line to answer.
"Hello?"
"...Mother...It's me."
TBC